Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/opinion/01rich.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

Frank Rich tends to say the same thing over and over again in his op-ed columns, but his work here is inspired, as he predicts an inevitable clash between so-called "South Park Republicans" (i.e., social liberals/libertarians who support the GOP because they oppose high taxation and Political Correctness) and the religious right. As someone who has much more in common with the SPRs than with the Focus on the Family types, I do think that war will happen very soon within the Republican Party–but I doubt that it will destroy the GOP, as Rich apparently hopes.   

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/opinion/01rich.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

Frank Rich tends to say the same thing over and over again in his op-ed columns, but his work here is inspired, as he predicts an inevitable clash between so-called "South Park Republicans" (i.e., social liberals/libertarians who support the GOP because they oppose high taxation and Political Correctness) and the religious right. As someone who has much more in common with the SPRs than with the Focus on the Family types, I do think that war will happen very soon within the Republican Party–but I doubt that it will destroy the GOP, as Rich apparently hopes.   

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/29/arrested_father_had_point_to_make?mode=PF

http://www2.townonline.com/lexington/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=238628&format=text

Very interesting story. Unlike the unbearable Eileen McNamara, I do not think this guy’s a homophobic wingnut–although I do fear that homophobic wingnuts will seize upon this case as a means of launching yet another crusade against the "radical gay agenda." However, families such as the Parkers, who would just like to have some say over the manner and time in which their children learn about human sexuality, really (and unfortunately) only have one choice: like the Boston families in the mid- 1970s who moved out of the city in reaction to forced busing, families like the Parkers must "vote with their feet" and put their children in private or parochial schools, where complaints against certain elements of the school curriculum will not fall on deaf ears. (In a way, this story is a near-flawless argument in favor of school vouchers…)

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/29/arrested_father_had_point_to_make?mode=PF

http://www2.townonline.com/lexington/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=238628&format=text

Very interesting story. Unlike the unbearable Eileen McNamara, I do not think this guy’s a homophobic wingnut–although I do fear that homophobic wingnuts will seize upon this case as a means of launching yet another crusade against the "radical gay agenda." However, families such as the Parkers, who would just like to have some say over the manner and time in which their children learn about human sexuality, really (and unfortunately) only have one choice: like the Boston families in the mid- 1970s who moved out of the city in reaction to forced busing, families like the Parkers must "vote with their feet" and put their children in private or parochial schools, where complaints against certain elements of the school curriculum will not fall on deaf ears. (In a way, this story is a near-flawless argument in favor of school vouchers…)

http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=80802&format=text

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/29/romney_files_death_penalty_bill?mode=PF

http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=80938&format=text

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/30/romney_hits_foe_on_executions?mode=PF

Sorry, Mitt, but the Bay State is too liberal to ever bring back capital punishment. Paul Cellucci discovered this a few years back:

http://www.collegepublisher.com/media/paper87/DFPArchive/cityscope/0329993.cfm

It’ll be a valiant effort…but in this state, it’ll be a losing one.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/25/house_rejects_income_tax_cut_during_first_day_of_budget_debate?mode=PF

Bunch of bastards. Funny, isn’t it? They always say we can’t "afford" a tax cut, but they always seem to find enough money to vote themselves a goddamn pay raise…

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/v-pfriendly/story/302977p-259389c.html

Apparently, Maggie Gyllenhaal has learned NOTHING from what happened to the Dixie Chicks–or to Jane Fonda, for that matter. Seriously, why would anybody in their right mind volunteer to be the new conservative poster child for "liberal Hollywood anti-Americanism"? Is this some kind of reverse-publicity deal–did she want to get some free attention for her new movie by saying something that’s bound to result in a verbal smackdown from Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh? Gyllenhaal is a talented actress, but this is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/v-pfriendly/story/302977p-259389c.html

Apparently, Maggie Gyllenhaal has learned NOTHING from what happened to the Dixie Chicks–or to Jane Fonda, for that matter. Seriously, why would anybody in their right mind volunteer to be the new conservative poster child for "liberal Hollywood anti-Americanism"? Is this some kind of reverse-publicity deal–did she want to get some free attention for her new movie by saying something that’s bound to result in a verbal smackdown from Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh? Gyllenhaal is a talented actress, but this is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/opinion/24kristof.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

Great article by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times about a notorious Hollywood hypocrisy: for all of Tinseltown’s political liberalism, the industry is still somewhat reluctant, even in 2005, to produce films depicting interracial relationships. Things have improved recently, to be sure: Halle Berry appeared in three consecutive films in which she had white love interests (Swordfish with John Travolta, Monster’s Ball with Billy Bob Thornton, and Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan), Angela Bassett played Robert De Niro’s girlfriend in The Score (2001), and the Julia Stiles/Sean Patrick Thomas film Save the Last Dance (which I loved when I first saw it, but which doesn’t really hold up upon subsequent viewings) grossed an unexpected $91 million in 2001. However, it wasn’t that long ago (only a dozen years, in fact) since Hollywood chickened out and made the characters played by Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts in The Pelican Brief "just friends"–despite the fact that in the John Grisham novel upon which the film was based, the two characters have a torrid affair.

Remember a few years back when David E. Kelley had Ally McBeal fall in love with a black doctor (played by Jesse L. Martin of Law and Order)? Because neither character acknowledged the fact that they weren’t of the same ethnic background, the show was criticized for "unrealistically" depicting an interracial romance in post-desegregation Boston. I thought the criticism was unwarranted–seriously, who would be interested in watching episodes showing Ally McBeal and her boyfriend being harassed, stared at, etc.? Kelley had no choice but to depict the relationship in a completely colorblind fashion–and the storyline was memorable precisely because race was not openly acknowledged as an issue. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a movie do the same thing? A simple boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back romantic comedy, with one character who happens to be black and one character who happens to be white. No racial jokes, no political debates, no family feuds, no eye-rolling from supporting characters. Just a plain and simple, "old-fashioned" (so to speak) romance. It’d be radical, wouldn’t it?

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&u=/ap/20050424/ap_en_mo/box_office&printer=1

This is a surprise! I fully expected The Interpreter to bomb, because a) Nicole Kidman hasn’t had a film open at #1 since Eyes Wide Shut in 1999; b) Mystic River notwithstanding, Sean Penn is not really that big of a box-office draw; c)the director, Sydney Pollack, hasn’t had a hit since The Firm in 1993; and d) who was really interested in a movie set in the UN, of all places?

I figured that A Lot Like Love had the #1 spot wrapped up like a mummy. It’s stunning that the movie did so poorly, considering Ashton Kutcher’s hot streak at the box office since Dude, Where’s My Car’s surprise strong performance. I guess the target audience thought the movie looked like crap based on the commericals and trailers. Then again, Guess Who looked like crap based on the commericals and trailers, and that movie’s a hit.

I guess nobody decided to pay a King’s Ransom to see that piece of garbage. Seriously, did anyone really think Anthony Anderson was a box-office draw?

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/11834/

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/24/source_weld_talking_to_gop_about_new_york_run?mode=PF

http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=80309&format=text

This is great news. While I didn’t agree with everything Weld did during his days as the Bay State’s governor, overall he’s my kind of Republican–fiscal conservative, social libertarian–and if he won, he’d do a hell of a job.

After Robert Travaglini, the president of the Massachusetts State Senate, has had unwanted guests at his home for the past few months. No, not termites or roaches, but parishoners of a Catholic church and their priest, Rev. Tom DiLorenzo, who have been protesting the senator’s views on embryonic stem cell research. The protests have been quite loud–singing, praying, chanting, etc. Rev. DiLorenzo’s actions have generated attention but not results: Sen. Travaglini has steadfastly refused to change his position on stem cell research. Now, the Archdiocese of Boston–realizing that Rev. DiLorenzo’s actions are both fruitless and a textbook example of religious extremism–have finally told Rev. DiLorenzo and his parishioners to knock it off:

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=79948&format=&page=1

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/24/priest_ordered_to_stay_away_from_travaglini_home?mode=PF

Not to be politically incorrect, or to accuse others of suspicious motives, but don’t you think Rev. DiLorenzo would have stayed far away from Sen. Travaglini’s house if Travaglini lived in a more, shall we say, dicey area?

After Robert Travaglini, the president of the Massachusetts State Senate, has had unwanted guests at his home for the past few months. No, not termites or roaches, but parishoners of a Catholic church and their priest, Rev. Tom DiLorenzo, who have been protesting the senator’s views on embryonic stem cell research. The protests have been quite loud–singing, praying, chanting, etc. Rev. DiLorenzo’s actions have generated attention but not results: Sen. Travaglini has steadfastly refused to change his position on stem cell research. Now, the Archdiocese of Boston–realizing that Rev. DiLorenzo’s actions are both fruitless and a textbook example of religious extremism–have finally told Rev. DiLorenzo and his parishioners to knock it off:

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=79948&format=&page=1

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/24/priest_ordered_to_stay_away_from_travaglini_home?mode=PF

Not to be politically incorrect, or to accuse others of suspicious motives, but don’t you think Rev. DiLorenzo would have stayed far away from Sen. Travaglini’s house if Travaglini lived in a more, shall we say, dicey area?

C.J. Doyle, a conservative activist best known for constantly writing letters to the Boston Herald attacking Margery Eagan for being a liberal Catholic, is now trying to get the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to essentially overturn its November 2003 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/23/high_court_to_hear_bid_to_halt_same_sex_marriages?mode=PF

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/05/02/high_court_hears_bid_to_halt_same_sex_marriages?mode=PF

Hey, it’s his money to waste…

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/23/little_guy_big_run?mode=PF

Oh, this is rich. First of all, this guy’s running as a Republican in a city dominated by Democrats; second, he acknowledges having left the city in the ’70s due to "white flight" while trying to get votes in a city that is now 51% nonwhite. As those Guinness ads put it, brilliant!